Purple Frogs and Pale Green Eyes
by Lune-Solei
Summary: “You really do know nothing about the real world,” he grumbled. “Not everything is fairytale easy you know. Some things are the complete opposite of a fairytale.” Odd and Aelita discuss how their lives are heading. Cousinrelated, not paired together!


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko sadly, however, if anyone would like to give it to me for my birthday I know I won't complain.

**Rating:** G

**Pairing:** Ambiguous

**Author's Note:** This is going to be part of a super large fic that I'm working on currently. However, I feel that this can stand on its own and I don't know if anyone will read the other fic so I am posting this now, as a sort of taste of what's to come. The pairings are left ambiguous for a reason because I like being able to imagine who I want in a fic as well as achieving the goal of not giving too much away in the upcoming fic. I hope you enjoy.

**Dedication:** To Ems because she really liked it and she made me laugh with her suggested pairings. I love you Ems.

--

"I'm pathetic," he grumbled as he lay sprawled out on her bed.

She only gave him a look from where she sat with her legs tucked up under her. He groaned, letting his arm collapse over his eyes, hiding him from her gaze, even though he was the one who had gone to her in the first place. He heard the desk chair creak as she shifted, the soft thumps as she crossed the floor before he felt the bed dip slightly under her weight.

"Odd?" she asked softly, fingers skimming ever-so-lightly through his hair. He sighed as the cold flesh pressed against his overly hot skin. "You aren't pathetic, what makes you think you are?"

"Forget it," he mumbled, turning away from the pale green eyes staring at him. He could feel them boring into his arm, trying to meet his own light green eyes. Their eyes – it was probably the only reason people believed they were cousins. Unless people really _are_ that stupid. He made a noise, sitting up and let his eyes drop to his legs and the slightly rumpled duvet beneath him. "I'm just gonna go, thanks for letting me in for a bit."

"Odd!" He glanced up, noticing the way her eyebrows were drawn together, the green eyes glittering with some hidden emotion he couldn't decipher. "You came here for a reason. Just tell me, why do you think you're pathetic?"

He sighed heavily, falling back against her headboard and the numerous pillows and stuffed animals that inhabited the area. Her ceiling was the same pale cream color as the one in his own dorm, just as the walls were the same pale, off-white color. She stretched her legs out next to him and he laughed when he saw the socks on her feet. Pink with giant purple frogs and flies on the toes. She grinned at him, nudging his side lightly with her sock covered foot, watching him carefully from where she reclined on the other side of the bed.

"So tell me. Why do you think you're pathetic?"

"I'm not getting out of it, am I?"

"Nope. I know you want to talk so spill already. I do want to be somewhat awake for classes tomorrow." He laughed quietly and she sighed, sitting up and pulling her legs to her, resting her chin on her drawn knees and wiggling her toes. "I'm serious Odd. I worry about you, you know that." She paused, a frown pulling at her forehead, making her brows draw together as she thought over something. "You _do_ know that, right?"

"I know Princess," he replied with a grin. It faded almost as quickly as it appeared and he sighed again, letting his eyes fix on a lime green lamp (it really did clash horribly with all the pink, the reason he'd gotten it for her) on her desk. "I did something I swore I'd never do. Ever."

Concern filled her eyes and she leaned forward slightly. "What?"

"I think I fell in love," he mumbled, turning his face away so she wouldn't see the red staining his cheeks. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of air, inhaling the scent of jasmine. "I promised myself I never would, I don't even know how it happened. When we first met we didn't even like each other, well, I wasn't liked anyway," he grumbled. "It's all a mess right now," he sighed finally.

"Do I know this person?" He muttered something and she leaned forward, pressing a hand to his arm. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said finally. He gave her a grateful look and she smiled in return, her whole face seeming to light up as she did so. "Loving someone doesn't make you pathetic Odd."

"Even if it's completely unrequited?"

"I'm sure it isn't," she soothed. He relaxed as she shifted on the bed, sliding up to wrap her arms around him and he leaned back against her as she ran her fingers through his hair, not admitting that he enjoyed the sensation. "People like you Odd and if you really love this person, maybe you should act on it."

"You really do know nothing about the real world," he grumbled. "Not everything is fairytale easy you know. Some things are the complete opposite of a fairytale." He glanced at her in time to see her eyes narrow, darkening minutely, before she dropped her gaze to the pink and green comforter (he couldn't take credit for that one) beneath them. "Princess?" She made a noise, not really responding, shifting in the narrow space and he gripped her arm, making her look at him. "Is something wrong Aelita?"

She gave a dry laugh and shook her head. "Forget it Odd, my problems are nothing at the moment."

"Don't give me that. You're just as peppy as I am usually so something's wrong." He slung an arm around her shoulders, staring at her hard. "We're cousins and friends Aelita, we're supposed to tell each other everything, especially when we're stuck in this lovely place far from home."

She shook her head again. "You know just as well as I do that we aren't cousins Odd, you can stop pretending, we're alone."

His eyes hardened and he tilted her chin up so she met his gaze. "We're still friends Princess. I'm always here for you and I'll always listen, even if I talk too much at times, most of the time." He gave a sheepish smile before squeezing her shoulder gently. "Anyway, we may not be biological cousins, but come on, the family resemblance is still there!" he protested. She laughed weakly and he grinned. "Laughing's a good start."

"You are persistent, aren't you?" she asked, eyebrow arched delicately. He grinned at the look she was giving him, knowing that he was the one who had taught it to her. Yep, definite resemblance, even if they weren't related by blood, or even marriage, hell at all. He still liked feeling like he had family so far from home.

"Yes, I am," he told her proudly.

She giggled again, flopping back onto the mass of pillows, he would never understand girls and their obsession with pillows, and pulled a teddy bear that he knew Yumi had gotten her after the Xana attack that had left her in the hospital. He grinned reassuringly at her and she smiled back at him, gesturing for him to make himself comfortable. He noticed the socks again, her feet bouncing nervously and he wondered what it was that could make her act this way.

"I'm scared I suppose," she said finally. He glanced at her quickly, surprise showing in his eyes. "Don't give me that look Odd Della Robbia," she growled, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's perfectly reasonable to be scared. I'm frightened that someone will realize I don't belong here, I'm frightened about what will happen after school, during the holidays, after graduation. I have no family here Odd, I have no _life_ here."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Of course you do Ai. You have me, I'm always here. You have Ulrich who you know will always protect you, even if he acts mute and moody most of the time. And Yumi who thinks of you as a savior because otherwise she'd be stuck with three guys. And you have Jer, who thinks the world of you and no one else. You have a family Aelita and we'll always look out for you, no matter what." He paused when he felt her shake her head. "What? You don't believe me?"

"No…no, it's not that," she mumbled into his shirt before pulling back. "I know I have all of you, without you I wouldn't even be here, I'd still be stuck in a computer somewhere. I owe you guys my whole existence." She sighed, drawing her knees up once more and he sat up as well, watching her. "You, Ulrich, and Yumi are wonderful Odd. And so is Jeremie but lately I feel like I'm just inadequate, that I'm not what he expected."

"He loves you Ai."

"I know. He's told me that on several occasions, I just haven't exactly returned the words. Don't look at me like that Odd. I'm new to this world, I know I care deeply about Jeremie but how am I suppose to know it's love? You all have the advantage here. You grew up with these emotions, you know if it's love or not. I don't."

He laughed, cutting her off with a shake of his head. "Just because we grew up here doesn't mean we know anything. Do you think I wanted to fall in love? No. It ruined all my plans for a matter of fact. I had planned to date around, test the waters you know? Hah! I was wrong." He rolled his eyes. "We're really pathetic you know? We sit here and mope and complain."

"I told you to act on it," she reminded him primly.

"And I told you that you have people that care about you. Doesn't seem like we're listening real hard to what the other's saying at the moment."

"I just don't know what to do Odd. I feel like he loves the idea of me, not who I am. If I do something unexpected all he says is that you've been a bad influence on me or that I shouldn't spend so much time with you…"

"He's probably right."

"But what if this _is_ me? What if you have no influence over me? You didn't tell me to buy these socks…"

"No, but I would've if you'd asked."

"Or the duvet. You didn't tell me to add the blue highlights to my hair last summer, or dye it blonde last winter just to see what it felt like to have normal hair for once. This is me. I decided it all and you didn't influence me anymore than Ulrich did when I asked him to teach me martial arts."

He nodded sagely, looping his arm around her shoulders so she could lean back against him. "I know. And I know I'll never forget the traitorous look Yumi gave you for not asking her." His response was a shrug and he smiled. "Or the rumors that spread about you and Ulrich having a secret love affair that almost sent Jeremie, Yumi, and Sissi into cardiac arrest when they finally heard."

"Which was all a lie," she grumbled. "If you're my cousin then Ulrich's pretty much my older, over-protective brother. And I wouldn't have an affair with my brother" He chuckled and she nudged him. "What?"

"Nothing. He'll tell you eventually I'm sure," was all he said. She raised an eyebrow and he shook his head. "A trust between roommates is sacred, I cannot break that trust."

"Just every other trust, right?" He shrugged and she shoved him. "So are you ever going to tell me the person's name?"

"Depends, are you ever going to tell Jer you love him?"

"Maybe. Just not right now. Like you said I want options. I care about him but I want to make sure I love him like that before I say anything. It wouldn't be fair any other way." He nodded and she nudged him again. "Your turn, who is it?"

He gave a shrug. "I'm not sure I want to say just yet. Saying it out loud may make it more real, more tangible. I don't think I can deal with it yet." She started to protest but he shook his head. "I promise Princess, the second I'm ready to tell someone, it's going to be you. You're always one of the first to know about my life."

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah. You, Ulrich, and the family. You're always the first to know at one point or another." She grinned and he tugged on her hair, smiling. "And for the record, I don't care if it's me being a bad influence or you being you, I like you just the way you are. I need someone just as crazy to hang with."

She grinned. "Yeah? Well, I think we make a pretty good team."

"Good." He yawned widely, glancing at the frog shaped clock on the nightstand, grinning at the glittered eyes and bright purple and pink of it. Aelita was definitely into the vibrant colors he noted, trying to remember who had purchased the frog. "Well, it's two-thirty, guess I better head to bed before I sleep through all my classes."

She giggled quietly, following him to the door. "Odd?" He turned to her, eyes already drooping and she smiled wider, wrapping her arms around him tightly and hugging him. "Thank you for everything. I hope I was as much help to you as you were to me."

"Trust me Princess, you were. Sleep tight Ai," he mumbled. He gave her one last squeeze before slipping through the door and into the hallway, noticing almost immediately the sudden loss of warmth. "I'll see you tomorrow," he promised as she stood at the door, hand resting on the handle.

"Definitely," she agreed. "Good night Odd."


End file.
